Medellin Reports

[QUOTE=Nounce;2460608]The price depends on which union they belong to.[/QUOTE]You have to realize it is a buyers market at the moment a lot of desperate single mums who have partner that no income. $USD80 sets her and the kids up with food for a week and with a excellent porn star performance a good chance that you will be back to pay for next week shopping too. I expect things will even get better for mongering in the coming months. Avoid the union girls with fixed pricing they will soon get the message and find that with more hookers joining the workforce and less mongers with money. The laws of demand and supply will surely come into force.

These police officers, as well as municipal legislators and administrators, are on the gang's payroll. They work for the mafia, not for the people. That is why they are despised by the public. Basically the entire area, and the city, is effectually governed by crime organizations.

I do not question your brevity and strength, but it is not a good area for hanging around.

[QUOTE=PolloNegro;2460618]Without boring you to death, this is the bottom line, all of the girls in the park have to pay set fee to two guys in the park. I met these guys, and I told them straight up to their face in front of the police. I am Puerto Rican and Black, I don't pay anyone. No one extorts someone like me, you're are wasting your time, don't ask, don't assume, don't even think about it, I will never pay anyone anything to protect me, you will have to kill me first and then, what do you think they will do once you kill an American in this park?

My girlfriend's son had a phone of mine's, brand new, and the girl who is in charge of all of the Vennie's waited until he was using the phone one day in the park and she snatched the phone and demanded that he pay $20,000 pesos to get the phone back. He didn't have any pesos on him so she kept the phone. The next day I went to the park to look for her and she would not appear, but I told every one of her friends to tell her that I wanted my phone. The cops came and it was a real show. This is where and how things got extremely ugly.

The girl who snatched the phone had no idea that I had receipts for every phone that I have ever brought into the country, it is necessary to have this if you plan on bringing phones here, even as a gift because without it you cannot register the phone. I was making such uproar about the phone, strictly out of principle, that the cops called over the two guys who are in charge of the girls in the park. I could show them the receipt, the IEMI number, and photos of the girl who stole the phone. So the cops were explaining to them, that the girl could not come back to the park until the phone was returned or else she would be arrested. My girlfriend showed up, her son showed up, he told the cops exactly what I am telling you, that the girl snatched his phone and demanded that he pay her $20,000 pesos to return it..[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=SlyOne;2460626]You have to realize it is a buyers market at the moment a lot of desperate single mums who have partner that no income. $USD80 sets her and the kids up with food for a week and with a excellent porn star performance a good chance that you will be back to pay for next week shopping too. I expect things will even get better for mongering in the coming months. Avoid the union girls with fixed pricing they will soon get the message and find that with more hookers joining the workforce and less mongers with money. The laws of demand and supply will surely come into force.[/QUOTE]Mr. Sly,

I know this is the MDE board but you used to be the man in Lima. I can get no info from that board. What have you heard?

[QUOTE=Junior11;2460621]I walked through Ground zero and Plaza Botero a few days ago in the AM. I noticed lots of activity and no cops. Literally, that was the biggest difference that I noticed with the pre covid times. No cops in or around Plaza Botero. Probably, I just missed them and they were hiding somewhere. Surely, there are fewer of them in the area even though the activity is pretty much back to the pre covid levels.

I didn't plan to pick up anyone. I just decided to pass through the area out of curiosity. I had my passport on me. With the benefit of hindsight, I realize that was a silly thing to do.[/QUOTE]Spot on observation, it use to be that the police / tourist police has a presence in that makeshift tent stationed right in front of the museum and there would be groups of usually 2 or 3 polices continually walking the Botero beat, maybe 3 or 4 even 5 or 6 at times different groups of these police BUT now no tent, you don't see any police, the special tourist police are gone, it is like the CHOP no police allowed that is in Seattle Washington, seriously I don't have a clue what happened to them, they are just gone.

If you decide to hang out around there be extra careful and stay alert. On Saturday I spent about 3 hours in and around Botero and the Vera and finally found a paisa chica whom I have known for 3 years and she is struggling like all the girls so I took her to that hotel Venicia (2nd floor at the corner behind the Vera). As soon as I finished I got the hell out of Dodge, licking-split.

The Tall Man.

OK, the part about what happened was short. Thanks for that. All this Botero Plaza talk the last few days got me curious again. Today I'm there watching some workers install a new lighted sign one the small pharmacy across from Tostao. I was impressed by their efficiency. Somebody yelling from Botero Plaza at one of the girls at ground zero caught my attention so I moved that way and notice the guy yelling is saying he wasn't going to do anything and she should not have said anything to the police. I get closer and fuck me if the turismo police haven't confiscated a freaking kitchen paring knife from this guy. I'm talking and 8 inch knife. I don't know how you stash something like that without stabbing yourself. Anyway, when I got there maybe half an hour earlier it was obvious that the police presence was way up in all parts of the plaza. I always enter from Parque Berrio where there are usually lots of cops anyway. Today there were more than usual. After the knife confiscation a police helicopter began making passes over the plaza. I had a Goodfellas flashback of the scene when Ray Liotta is all coked up and seeing surveillance aircraft all over the place, except I was not coked up and there really was a helicopter making passes. It seemed like the police might not have been an isolated situation involving Lugnut.

So Pollo, I am pretty sure I know the two guys you mentioned. I regret what happened to your Medellin family. I feel lucky I've been able to keep it simple there. I am with you about hanging out in the park for hours. I don't see the need. I do my business and move on mostly. Sometimes for entertainment I will watch the 3 card monte games because they remind me of Times Square in the 80's. I also get a kick out of listening to the line of bullshit of the con man vendors who sell worthless TV decoders that are supposed to get you all the national stations in perfect HD. When sales slow down, as they often do, they signal a shill who pretends to be interested and asks canned questions. So back to the girls, there is a steady flow of new venecas along with all the old not favorites. Progress on the bench replacement is ultra slow. They are getting replaced at the rate of one or less per week.

[QUOTE=PolloNegro;2460618]Without boring you to death, this is the bottom line, all of the girls in the park have to pay set fee to two guys in the park. I met these guys, and I told them straight up to their face in front of the police. I am Puerto Rican and Black, I don't pay anyone. No one extorts someone like me, you're are wasting your time, don't ask, don't assume, don't even think about it, I will never pay anyone anything to protect me, you will have to kill me first and then, what do you think they will do once you kill an American in this park?

My girlfriend's son had a phone of mine's, brand new, and the girl who is in charge of all of the Vennie's waited until he was using the phone one day in the park and she snatched the phone and demanded that he pay $20,000 pesos to get the phone back. He didn't have any pesos on him so she kept the phone. The next day I went to the park to look for her and she would not appear, but I told every one of her friends to tell her that I wanted my phone. The cops came and it was a real show. This is where and how things got extremely ugly...[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Forever18;2460492]Only USD $80 for seeking arrangement girl? I thought it was more expensive than that.[/QUOTE]$80 IS expensive in Colombia! Think about where you are, not where you come from.

[QUOTE=Surfer500;2460315]But there was nothing, not a single sign or CBP personnel at the entrance or along the pathway into Mexico. Upon crossing the turnstile and entering I got to the immigration booth and was asked how long I was going to be there with not a single other question asked and they issued me a tourist card, I then walked about 15 feet, they checked my temperature, and was in. And it was the same returning back in the USA, no questions asked about how long I was there, what was I doing there, no temperature checks, only what was I bringing back.

Without going into any detail as to what was going on in Mexico, entering and exiting was like there was no Pandemic, yet all non-essential travel was banned yet no enforcement. This is what I found perplexing, but maybe I shouldn't of.[/QUOTE]Surfer, there are so many people crossing the border between Mexico and the USA Legally every day that closing the border was never realistic: for work, for school, for shopping. It is far more traveled than the USA and Canada. For a time, there was VERY little transmission of cases across the border. That may have changed as Texas is now the epicenter of the USA for Corona and maybe soon the world. I have been to Mexico 3 x since March and never had my temperature taken when returning to the USA.

[QUOTE=Surfer500;2460315]In very simple terms, and mentioned in what Duque said, was that until their is a vaccine, at least an effective one, that Colombia was 'hosed", and I think a lot of people have thrown in the towel meaning their at their wit's end (fuck it is all I hear now) as you mentioned, and that's what a lot of other Countries around the world think of the USA in how we have handled things meaning we have "given up".

I'm honestly ashamed at how were doing, and think we are the laughing stock of the world.[/QUOTE]Well, for a country that considers itself the best in the world with the best most state of the art health care system, yes, the USA has performed miserably.

In the USA right now, Covid is spreading as badly now as it ever has. It has just slowed down in NYC while everywhere else is seeing huge rises particularly in the South, so much for the heat killing the virus. I am not defending Trump anymore: the rally was bird brained and the slow roll out of testing was awful, and the police issue? Yeesh.

For what it is worth, I give the USA a see. Once things got serious and the private sector was incentivized, testing kits are now being produced like crazy, and things are being handled much better now. Mexico and Brazil have handled things much worse, but the USA should have done much better.

Colombia is in a pickle though. There total lockdown has meant that Corona has not spread so much, and it means that there are going to be in the primary wave for much longer. I honestly do not know what they are going to do. The latest boneheaded move in Colombia was allowing Black Friday go on where people paid on taxes while shopping, and stores were flooded.

I think we can say now that what Germany and South Korea did is what everyone should follow: massive testing and selected isolation, but I am not sure if Colombia has the money or capacity to do massive testing.

I just people are so fed up with the so called experts saying one thing and then the other. You can find whatever POV you want on masks, distancing, and quarantines, and I think that has led to this fuck it phase.

If Colombia does not have the money or capacity to do massive testing, I really do not what they are supposed to do. Wait for a vaccine, that when it comes will probably be at best 50% effective, and keep everyone in quarantine while destroying the economy?

Up until four weeks ago, the notion that we had all the testing we needed in the USA was bullshit. The reason sports teams are opening up is because there is now capacity to test everyone.

I am just waiting to see more riots here and abroad. I am not sure if Colombia is a powder keg or not. It seems like people are suffering there a lot.

Was in Botero yesterday. I find myself going more often because it is one of the few spots in the City where there is actually some energy and people vibing during the quarantine, other than the times I find myself in the mountains. Was pretty dead with the bars closed and it being a holiday. That being said, there was still some talent out there. In total, probably 25% of the amount of people on a Friday.

[QUOTE=ColombiaLover;2460374] I prefer to pass time with hot, Colombian chicas, preferably in places most gringo tourists would never go..[/QUOTE]I'm curious, what some of those places or types of places are?

I've been quarantining on a finca in a rural area for the last couple of months and just now looking at trying to get special permission to relocate myself back to Medellin. Curious how things are there at the moment, which of the casas in centro are currently open, and what the norms are these days. Hand sanitizer I assume, but are the girls actually presenting themselves wearing masks, or are things reasonably casual there? In the city is it compulsory to wear masks in public, and if so is that being enforced, are people generally free to move around or is it still pico and cedula and and hour of exercise. Sounds like most are restaurants functioning with takeaways, and most shops currently open, what's the general vibe, things sort of stable and slowly opening more or are people tense and afraid? I have read the earlier reports about Tinder girls, Plaza Botero, the Laureles apartments, all functioning and some reference to the centro casas now be open, just trying to get a better idea of basically what to expect.

[QUOTE=Orgasmico;2460800]Was in Botero yesterday. I find myself going more often because it is one of the few spots in the City where there is actually some energy and people vibing during the quarantine, other than the times I find myself in the mountains. Was pretty dead with the bars closed and it being a holiday. That being said, there was still some talent out there. In total, probably 25% of the amount of people on a Friday.[/QUOTE]That's why I always enjoy spending time in El Centro, the energy. Once you get over the initial shock, there's a certain flow to El Centro that you won't find in Laureles or Poblado.

Almost anywhere other than Poblado!

Bars, discos, restaurants.

La 70 (you will see some gringos, but not many).

La 33 (few gringos).

La 45 (few gringos).

Manrique (rarely any).

Aranjuez (rarely any).

[QUOTE=Lugnut;2460807]I'm curious, what some of those places or types of places are?[/QUOTE]

You'll probably just want to skip this. There's no sex at all.

[QUOTE=Elvis2008;2460700]Surfer, there are so many people crossing the border between Mexico and the USA Legally every day that closing the border was never realistic: for work, for school, for shopping. It is far more traveled than the USA and Canada. For a time, there was VERY little transmission of cases across the border. That may have changed as Texas is now the epicenter of the USA for Corona and maybe soon the world. I have been to Mexico 3 x since March and never had my temperature taken when returning to the USA.[/QUOTE]While the numbers are higher at the Mexican border, there was always a lot of daily crossing between the US and Canada. Of course there isn't the pedestrian traffic, but plenty of cars and trucks.

I cross the US / Canadian border 4 times a week, twice each way. Did it for 4. 5 years up until 3 years ago and have been doing it again for almost 5 months.

The trade war had already significantly reduced the truck traffic at the beginning of February. By my comparison, commercial traffic was about 50% less than 4 years ago. Personal traffic was also down. Since the border shutdown, I've seen 2 cars either entering or leaving Canada. Truck traffic dropped so much I was sent back to X-ray because they were bored and didn't have anything to do. That's literally what the CBP agent told me. My average wait used to be 15-20 minutes, and that's because I time my crossings for the lowest traffic volume. I've been hitting peak traffic with zero wait time.

Truck traffic is picking back up now. It has almost reached the pre COVID-19 level. Still no word on the other restrictions being lifted.

Canada frequently asks if I've experienced any symptoms, the US has never asked. The US didn't start requiring CBP to wear masks until 6 weeks ago. They did go through a period where they weren't taking and inspecting paperwork, Just a glance at the passport card and a few questions to identify you. If anything, the crossing back into the US has become much more relaxed.

[QUOTE]Well, for a country that considers itself the best in the world with the best most state of the art health care system, yes, the USA has performed miserably.

In the USA right now, Covid is spreading as badly now as it ever has. It has just slowed down in NYC while everywhere else is seeing huge rises particularly in the South, so much for the heat killing the virus. I am not defending Trump anymore: the rally was bird brained and the slow roll out of testing was awful, and the police issue? Yeesh. [/QUOTE]The US citizenry has a built-in immunity to objectivity. Facts aren't something most will consider. Fact is the US healthcare system has been crumbling for decades. You can still find the best doctors and the best treatment, if you have the pull. Otherwise, you're better off going to Tijuana, or Medellin.

Cases are currently surging in 17 states, including Oklahoma, California and Texas. It's interesting that the states which caught the most flak for their lockdowns have done the best. Look at Michigan. At this point, any hope of the US as a whole coming up with a coherent response is gone.

[QUOTE]For what it is worth, I give the USA a see. Once things got serious and the private sector was incentivized, testing kits are now being produced like crazy, and things are being handled much better now. Mexico and Brazil have handled things much worse, but the USA should have done much better. [/QUOTE]You're grading on a curve. Private industry response has been mostly excellent. I went into a local restaurant last night. There was a constant flow of take-out orders. They were sanitizing ink pens and the cash. All cash received was sanitized and laid out on the bar to dry. Seating was extremely limited and all the staff were wearing masks. Everywhere I go I see businesses taking action.

However, the government response has been a disaster. To make matters worse, the government rhetoric has been counter-productive. There are still people running around claiming it's a hoax, or they're bringing up the flu or Tuberculosis. And they're refusing to take precautions because the government keeps telling them precautions aren't necessary.

There's going to be one helluva hangover from this party.

[QUOTE]Colombia is in a pickle though. There total lockdown has meant that Corona has not spread so much, and it means that there are going to be in the primary wave for much longer. I honestly do not know what they are going to do. The latest boneheaded move in Colombia was allowing Black Friday go on where people paid on taxes while shopping, and stores were flooded. [/QUOTE]Here's a question. Was the theía Sin IVA an attempt to kick up the spread of the virus, in order to justify more extreme measures? Or was it just a stupid stunt to boost popularity?

[QUOTE]I think we can say now that what Germany and South Korea did is what everyone should follow: massive testing and selected isolation, but I am not sure if Colombia has the money or capacity to do massive testing.

I just people are so fed up with the so called experts saying one thing and then the other. You can find whatever POV you want on masks, distancing, and quarantines, and I think that has led to this fuck it phase.[/QUOTE]The experts have been pretty consistent. The problem has been that anyone in front of a microphone is considered an expert by too many people. Unfortunately, there are way too many microphones.

[QUOTE]If Colombia does not have the money or capacity to do massive testing, I really do not what they are supposed to do. Wait for a vaccine, that when it comes will probably be at best 50% effective, and keep everyone in quarantine while destroying the economy?

Up until four weeks ago, the notion that we had all the testing we needed in the USA was bullshit. The reason sports teams are opening up is because there is now capacity to test everyone.

I am just waiting to see more riots here and abroad. I am not sure if Colombia is a powder keg or not. It seems like people are suffering there a lot.[/QUOTE]As I've said before, the economy always recovers, the dead never do.

[QUOTE=JjBee62;2460828]That's why I always enjoy spending time in El Centro, the energy. Once you get over the initial shock, there's a certain flow to El Centro that you won't find in Laureles or Poblado.[/QUOTE]I really expected it to be crazier and less safe. Growing up in NY and hanging out in Jamaica Queens, Chinatown, Bronx, Washington Heights, El Centro was tame. If you grew up in a city, there's no shock. NY, LA, SF. All have areas that look / feel way worse than El Centro.

That is correct. If you are from an isolated and privileged suburban background Centro is the scariest place in the world.

[QUOTE=AdventureSeekr;2460843]I really expected it to be crazier and less safe. Growing up in NY and hanging out in Jamaica Queens, Chinatown, Bronx, Washington Heights, El Centro was tame. If you grew up in a city, there's no shock. NY, LA, SF. All have areas that look / feel way worse than El Centro.[/QUOTE]